Sunday, March 29, 2009

I couldn't pass up the fabulous spring weather this morning and decided to take a quick morning hike at Sunol Regional Park, just a short drive south of San Ramon. The hills were vibrant and green, the wildflowers in full bloom, and the cows frolicking in the meadows. Come along for an easy and picturesque hike...

First, stop in at the Visitor's Center...

Then pass over the foot bridge...

Steep hillsides line the trail...

Just follow the signs...

Be sure to close the gates behind you, though....

you don't want the cows to escape...

Gorgeous views everywhere you look...

And fields of wildflowers...

The trail is easy to follow...

Be sure to check out the flowers close up...

And notice the new growth on the oak trees, too...

The cows munch away...

Then the trail heads up into the hills...

You may encounter traffic on the trail...

But just follow the arrows, and you won't get lost...

The cows have no fear of hikers...

More lovely wildflowers...

Then the trail heads down to the river where you can see waterfalls...

You'll have to cross an old bridge...

And head back to the parking lot...

Look but don't pick!

Hope you enjoyed the hike. Sunol Regional Park has miles of trails for both hiking and horseback riding, and there are also lots of picnic areas and camping sites. The gates open at 7 am and close at dusk - it's a great place to enjoy nature's beauty.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Barns. Who doesn't love barns? When I'm traveling, I'm always on the lookout for them since they do provide such wonderful photo ops. My cyberbuddy, Cheryl@Desertsouthwest, suggested that we go on a "barn quest" and post our results on our blogs. I took her up on that offer and here are the results. Well, some of my pics are from the archives - the last several, but I have discovered some new barns in the near vicinity...

Travel Anyone?

Travel, whether near or far, has always been a big part of my life. Sometimes I'm traveling with others. Usually, however, I'm on my own just tripping around my neighborhood, hometown, or surrounding communities. No matter where I go, though, I always take lots of photos using my Nikon D40 and Nikkor 18-200 mm lens or my little iPhone or iPad.

In January 2013 I was diagnosed a second time with cancer; only this time there is no cure. It's being treated as a chronic disease, so since then I've felt a sense of urgency to get out and see as much of my world as possible and take photos and record them on this blog, which I use as my "photo diary." So, enjoy my travels and resulting images and please visit again...